Oregon – An Oregon man was ordered to spend the next twenty nine years behind bars after a jury convicted him of first-degree mansIaughter, unIawfuI use of a weapon and being a feIon in possession of a firearm for the killing of 40-year-old NicoIe.
Oregon authorities said the fataI incident occurred in Nov. 2023. Family members who were at the scene told officers that an argument between the defendant, 32-year-old R. Sims, and the victim began after the woman became upset that reIatives were staying in the apartment for a hoIiday. Relatives also reported to investigators that the woman had told them the defendant punched her two days earlier, leaving a bIack eye.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, during the argument the defendant produced a handgun and initially the weapon malfunctioned. After the gun began working, the defendant shot the victim in the back three times, killing her as members of her family, including her two children, watched. Prosecutors described the act as callous and noted the shooting occurred in front of the victim’s relatives.
Oregon authorities opened an investigation after officers found the victim dead outside an apartment complex. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was homicide by gunshot wound. Detectives collected scene evidence, interviewed family members and witnesses, and compiled medical and forensic records that were later used by the District Attorney’s Office in prosecution.
Investigators identified the defendant as the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant charging him with murder in the second degree, unlawful use of a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm. With assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and specialized police units, the bureau executed a search warrant and arrested the defendant several months later. He was booked into the county detention center and the case was transferred to the Homicide Unit for prosecution.
Throughout the investigation, detectives relied on witness statements from family members who were present at the time of the shooting. Those relatives told officers they saw the defenadnt pull the gun and then fire after it initially failed to discharge. Family members also described prior domestic incidents they had been told about, information prosecutors used to establish motive and context during trial. The DA’s office and police investigators worked to corroborate witness accounts with forensic evidence, ballistic analysis and medical findings.